What is tennis elbow all about

Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is an injury which brings upon so much pain to people who acquire it. Like other chronic conditions like arthritis, origins of tennis elbow is unknown; however, doctors claim that constant repetitive stress applied to the forearms bring about micro-tears in tendons causing the painful condition. In fact, tennis elbow does not only affect tennis players but individuals whose occupation may require them to constantly use forearms for lifting or gripping. The probability of having tennis elbow increases through chronic use of the forearms and elbow.

What is tennis elbow? Understanding the medical condition Tennis elbow happens when the tendons attached to the outside of the elbow are injured. These tendons which are attached to the muscles helps the wrist to move back. People normally believe that tennis elbow is an inflammation similar to arthritis. Since it is thought of as arthritis in some aspects,people think that is a degenerative disease that cannot be stopped. Truth is, it is an injury as a consequence of mini tears in the tendon that haven’t recovered yet. What is tennis elbow and what are the indications? Usually, doctors often look for some of these indications during physical examination:

* Pain that begins from the outside of the elbow into the forearm and wrist* Pain is present when the outside of the elbows touch or bump* A weak grip* A painful grip during certain activities, like holding a mug or twisting a doorknob.

Patients with tennis elbow suffer from different degrees of pain that can end up being very painful to the point of debilitating. Several exams may be required to properly diagnose if the patient has tennis elbow or another condition that is causing forearm pain. Tests include:

X-ray An X-ray is valuable for diagnosis to detect other conditions such as bone fractures or swelling in the elbow joint, which is not tennis elbow at all.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) This is required for those who experience persistent pain and limited motion in their arm which can further pinpoint some underlying condition.

Learning what is tennis elbow and its symptoms is valuable. The more people become aware of this condition, the better chance they have at taking precautionary measures to avoid having tennis elbow.